AFC North Grades for the 2026 NFL Draft

**Cincinnati Bengals**

• Round 2, No. 41: EDGE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
• Round 3, No. 72: CB Tacario Davis, Washington
• Round 4, No. 128: C Connor Lew, Auburn
• Round 4, No. 140: WR Colbie Young, Georgia
• Round 6, No. 189: C Brian Parker, Duke
• Round 7, No. 221: TE Jack Endries, Texas
• Round 7, No. 126: DT Landon Robinson After trading for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, the Bengals were without a first round pick. They were still able to acquire notable talent after the first day of the draft. Edge rusher Cashius Howell out of Texas A&M had a productive five-year collegiate career and should help fill the void left by Trey Hendrickson. They further addressed their list of defensive needs in Round 3 by drafting Tacario Davis, a cornerback with impressive physical traits and high upside. After that, the Bengals drafted four straight offensive players — two interior lineman and two pass-catchers. Auburn’s Connor Lew is a solid mid-round center prospect and Landon Robinson, a seventh-round defensive tackle out of Navy, could outperform his draft spot. Grade: B

Baltimore Ravens

• Round 1, No. 14: OG Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State
• Round 2, No. 45: EDGE Zion Young, Missouri
• Round 3, No. 80: WR Ja’Kobi Lane, USC
• Round 4, No. 115: WR Elijah Sarratt, Indiana
• Round 4, No. 133: TE Matthew Hibner, SMU
• Round 5, No. 162: CB Chandler Rivers, Duke
• Round 5, No. 173: TE Josh Cuevas, Alabama
• Round 5, No. 174: RB Adam Randall, Clemson
• Round 6, No. 211: P Ryan Eckley, Michigan State
• Round 7, No. 250: DT Rayshaun Benny, Michigan
• Round 7. No. 253: OG Even Beernsten, Northwestern The Ravens made the chalk selection of Olaivavega Ioane in the first round, who was a safe but still home-run pick. Ioane is the best offensive guard prospect in this year’s class and fills a huge need for the Ravens on their interior offensive line. They addressed another pressing need in Round 2 by picking Zion Young, a well-rounded edge rusher out of Missouri. Young is an athletic specimen with a high motor and great run defense, who will fill out the team’s edge room nicely. Wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane is a bit of a project prospect with room to develop, but his physical traits make him an intriguing upside pick. The same goes for Elijah Sarratt, whom the Ravens drafted right after Lane marking a double-dip at wideout. The rest of Day 3 saw the Ravens add a pair of tight ends and supplement some depth with late-round talent at cornerback, running back, and defensive tackle. Notably, the Ravens did not draft a center and waited until Round 7 to draft a defensive lineman, which is a surprising and perplexing strategy given their needs at each spot. Grade: B

**Pittsburgh Steelers**

• Round 1, No. 21: OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
• Round 2, No. 47: WR Germie Bernard, Alabama
• Round 3, No. 76: QB Drew Allar, Penn State
• Round 3, No. 85: CB Daylen Everette, Georgia
• Round 3, No. 96: IOL Gennings Dunker, Iowa
• Round 4, Pick 121: WR Kaden Wetjen, Iowa
• Round 5, Pick 169: TE Riley Nowakowski, Indiana
• Round 6, Pick 210: DT Gabriel Rubio, Notre Dame
• Round 7, Pick 224: S Robert Spears-Jennings, Oklahoma
• Round 7, Pick 230: RB Eli Heidenreich, Navy The Steelers attempted to draft wide receiver Makai Lemon in the first round but were usurped by the Philadelphia Eagles. Instead, their consolation prize was offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, who is an ascending prospect with good physical traits. Iheanachor needs some time to develop and refine his skill set but possesses high upside. The Steelers still wound up landing a talented wideout in Round 2, where they drafted Alabama’s Germie Bernard. Bernard is a well-rounded wideout who should make an impact right away. Pittsburgh’s most notable pick is third-round quarterback Drew Allar out of Penn State. Allar has NFL potential but underwhelmed a bit in his final collegiate season. The hope is that with the right infrastructure in place, Allar could tap into his potential and develop as the long-term starting quarterback that the Steelers currently lack. The Steelers diversified many position groups in the mid-to-later rounds, including back-to-back Iowa prospects on the offensive side of the ball. Players like Daylen Everette and Kaden Wetjen should immediately contribute on special teams and some on this class could carve out an offensive or defensive role in 2026. Grade: B